1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cassette used in a printer of the thermal transfer type, wire dot type and the like, and in particular to an ink ribbon cassette for use in a printer which is constructed so that lateral forward movement and return movement of a carriage are changed-over every time a line to be printed is changed, and printing is carried out while an ink ribbon is transferred synchronously with the carriage in a direction opposite to that of movement of the carriage during both the forward movement and the return movement of the carriage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the above described type of printer, since an ink ribbon is transferred synchronously with a carriage in a direction opposite to that of the carriage, thereby resulting in increased speed of printing.
However, in order to carry out printing during a given return movement of the carriage, the operation during which an ink ribbon is wound up by a length corresponding to the return printing prior to such given return printing, the return printing being carried out with winding off the wound-up ink ribbon and after winding up the ink ribbon having the return printing thereon the forward printing is carried out, has been repeated. But, such method has the disadvantage that the printing speed is lowered by the time required for winding up the ink ribbon every time the printing is started, whereby the improved printing speed due to return printing is not entirely utilized.
A further disadvantage is that the control of the winding-up of the ink ribbon carried out every time the printing is started is complicated.